The Use of Ergogenic Compounds to Improve Athletic Performance An Ergogenic aid is known as an enhancing quality in sporting performance. Compounds such as bee pollen, caffeine, glycine, carnitine, lecithin, and gelatin are claimed through anecdotal evidence to improve strength or endurance. The use of drugs and other substances has persisted for nearly a century. Ergogenic aids are used to improve an athlete’s performance in as many ways as possible. This includes: § Physiological aids § Nutritional aids § Mechanical aids § Pharmacological/ hormonal aids § Psychological aids The purpose of all these different substances, training advantages is as they give an improved performance and an advantage over others. Some of these Ergogenic aids are legal and some are not. These range from accepted usage like carbohydrate loading to illegal, unsafe using like anabolic androgenic steroid use. Ergogenic aids are substances that enhance natural physiological processes that create physical power. Examples of this could be blood doping. Physiological aids aim to enhance physiological processes that occur naturally in the body. Training includes methods like interval training. Nutritional aids provide natural ways of enhancing performance. Nutritional Ergogenic aids are foods, drinks, herbs and other supplements which are said to improve and increase strength endurance and overall performance. Mechanical aids improve energy efficiency and skill developments.... ... middle of paper ... ...t more research needs to be done and for the government to take a more drastic approach to those who feel it is acceptable to take drugs to enhance their sporting performance. A larger fine should be given and a life time ban if proven guilty and no other reason suggesting otherwise. If a longer ban is given, it would put athletes off taking drugs a lot easier and quicker leading to drug free sports, better and maybe more participation and a wider range of publicity for the right reasons. If a harsher approach was given, it would give athletes a more respectable approach towards their sport and make more take it more seriously. More surveys should be done and more talks within the teams, sports, countries should be given on the responsibilities of each individual and the effects cheating can have on one’s career.
Gatorade is one of many sports drinks that is out in the market. It was first made back in 1956 by a group of scientists in the University of Florida. The main reason Gatorade was made in the first place was to help the athletes of the university by replacing the body fluids that they lost during competitions especially in the hot weather of southern Florida. In a competition athletes lose water, carbohydrates and electrolytes through lots of sweating so Gatorade’s first priority was to replace them and re-energize the athletes. The first ever bottles of Gatorade that were created did not contain as much ingredients as todays Gatorades, and at first 10 players from the University’s Football team tested the drinks. It didn’t take long for the effects to show and the team quickly started to win their games. After the team’s results started to get better, Gatorade gained lots of attention from around the athletic community and after a few short years it was the official drink of the NFL, NBA, MLB, PGA, AVP, and the MLS. After all the l success, it was bought by Pepsi Company in 2001. This meant that it would no longer distribute its products to only the USA and Canada, but to the entire world and since then Gatorade products have been sent to almost 80 different countries. But the big question now, is that does it really help athletes? Was this the reason behind all the success of the Florida Gators through the 60’s?
Creatine is one of the most popular sports supplements on the market and is used by bodybuilders, and athletes. It is an amino acid, like the building blocks that makes up proteins. It is also an important store of energy in muscle cells. Creatine is a natural nutrient found in our bodies and in the bodies of most animals. It can also be found in the form of a powder and sold as a supplement. Creatine is categorized as a food supplement by the Food and Drug Administration, like a vitamin and is available over the counter at drug stores and nutrition centers. Approximately 95% of the body’s creatine supply is found in the skeletal muscles. The remaining 5% of creatine is scattered throughout the rest of the body, with the highest concentration in the heart, brain, and testes. The human body gets most of the creatine it needs from food or dietary supplements.
in sport. What leads athletes to using it? We will also look at the advantages and
One of the opening points of the article acknowledges the health and safety repercussions of taking performance-enhancing drugs. The authors include this information to inform readers of the severity of the drugs involved and the situation as a whole. For example, in 1997 cyclist Erwan Mentheour tested positive for erythropoietin (EPO), which, “increases the number of red cells in the blood and thus an athlete’s endurance” (Begley and Brant 1). This initially sounds fairly harmless until the authors later explain that the drug “can turn blood the consistency of yogurt” and that “EPO has apparently killed at least 18 Dutch and Belgian cyclists since 1987” (4). Th...
People tend to work out so they can get in shape or increase the size of their muscles. The serious weight lifters, also known as body builders, take their workouts extremely serious and they actually receive benefits from taking a pre-workout supplement. Pre-workout supplements were first created with the purpose of giving bodybuilders more energy in the gym. Pre-workout began as guys drinking coffee before the gym and then switched directions when energy and diet supplements came along. Pre-workout supplements are formulated with ingredients that work together to ramp up your energy and endurance, increase strength, crank up muscle growth, and burn off body fat (Jim Stoppani, PH.D 2016) . You are able to do all this with pre-workout because it increases your blood flow to muscles, speeds up the ATP recycling, and stimulates your Central
It is used widely in medicine as a treatment for a number of serious illnesses, ranging from types of anaemia, to the treatment of certain types of cancer, and also in the battle against AIDS. Unfortunately certain athletes, who will do anything to win, have realised its ergogenic benefits, and also the severity of its misuse.
This essay will explain the hormone Erythropoietin, its effects and its role in the professional sporting industry. Explaining what Erythropoietin is, the process Erythropoiesis, its role in the body, its side effects vs. benefits and its role in modern sport will form the basis of this essay. By the conclusion of this essay my point of view will be that naturally occurring Erythropoietin is integral to homeostasis and synthetic Erythropoietin should only be used for specific medical conditions rather than as a performance enhancer in professional sport.
Bill Romanowski, Shannon Sharpe, and Mark McGwire, are just a few of the professional athletes that use and endorse fitness supplements such as Androstendione, Creatine, and other products. Every on camera interview that you see Shannon Sharpe he is wearing an EAS mock turtleneck. EAS is one of the leading manufacturers of Creatine and other supplements. The hottest supplement in Hollywood is Ephedrine; an herbal based drug designed to increase fat loss. Why do so many athletes use supplements? Who is using the supplements? How can I get supplements? Those are a few of the questions I have tried to answer in this report. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to educate. To educate not only the athletes using the supplements such as Creatine and Ephedrine but to also educate the governing bodies of collegiate sports. Answers were sought to the following questions: 1. Who is using Creatine and/or Ephedrine based products? 2. Why are they using supplements? 3. Are these products easily available? 4. Should the NCAA increase regulations on supplemental usage? Methods and procedures used to formulate this report I used primary and secondary research methods. I used the Internet as a focal point for my research. There were many sites devoted strictly to supplement usage and education on subjects related to the supplements, Creatine and Ephedrine. I also used muscle magazines and books for research. For primary research I gave forty questionnaires (see appendix 2) to twenty women and twenty men from Husson College.
The problems with performance enhancing drugs are that they give the user unfair advantages over other athletes and come with many health risks such as baldness. Steroid use can result in very substantial legal consequences and can ruin the user’s reputation. There are many alternatives to steroids but not all of them are safe. Different organizations have different rules on steroids, but in most cases, the user can get suspended, fined, or even both. Various types of steroids can have various short-term or long-term side effects. There are several types of steroids, the most popular ones being anabolic steroids. Historically, steroids have been around for many years, but the debate surrounding them started recently, more specifically a few decades ago. An important term to know is anabolic steroids which are made to work with the user’s muscle mass. Another term to know is clarified by Ida Walker, author of the book, Steroids: Pumped Up and Dangerous, published by Mason Crest Publishers in 2008, defines, peliosis hepatis is a rare condition in which cysts filled with blood form in the liver, if the cysts were to pop then internal bleeding would occur. A positive argument about steroids is stated by Adrianne Blue, author of the essay, “Performance Enhancing Drugs Should Be Legal,” published in the book Athletes and Drug Use, published in 2009, disputes, “Blue concludes that legalizing performance- enhancing drugs can protect athletes from dangerously abusing them.” The utilization of performance enhancing drugs has left a giant scar on sports and has compromised the achievements of many athletes; therefore, they are transforming the sports world into a drug filled world.
Creatine in Athletes As more and more people are playing professional, collegiate and high school sports each year (Debate), the competition for playing time has become more heated. Most male athletes in any sport these days are looking for any sort of edge that they can get over the people who are fighting for the same spot they are. These battles for playing time have become so heated that these kids are willing to try just about anything to win. Most kids are not willing to try anything illegal like steroids, but something very similar to steroids is a supplement called creatine.
The “placebo effect” is defined as an effect of beliefs rather than a drug. In research athletes have been made to believe that they received anabolic steroids, carbohydrates, or caffeine and they performed better than baseline or control groups. The focus in placebo research in sport is one the role of beliefs as a psychological factor in performance. Sport psychologists have argued that many technologies, products, or substances that seem to have an effect on athletes performance have no clear biological basis but may simply be the result of the placebo effect.
Ergogenic uses for anabolic steroids in sports, racing, and bodybuilding as performance-enhancing drugs are controversial because of their hostile effects and the potential to gain unfair advantage is considered cheating. Their use is referred to as doping and banned by all major sporting bodies. Mechanism of action
Are young athletes being pushed too far to always perform at higher and higher expectations? Taking vitamins are highly recommended by doctors, but there are some supplements that are illegal for use in high school sports. New pre-workout supplements cause new high school drug policies, research into both the active ingredients and short/long term effects of these products. These pre-workouts are this generation’s steroids and can have side effects that are just as dangerous. Their purpose is to provide you with a burst of quick and long lasting energy, increased blood flow, muscle growth, and faster recovery periods. Their popularity is growing faster than the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can research them and provide more information on what these products truly do to your body, such as whether they are actually safe for young adult athletes to use.
The job of professional athletes requires additional physical work to maintain their body so they can play at the highest level possible. Professional athletes us...
The famed often feel the need to do more to stand out to the public. In the field of professional sports, many turn to almost anything to give them a strategic edge over the opposing team. There are a number of things that can enhance one’s abilities to those of greater heights than before. Most of which are not allowed in the professional leagues. These banned performance enhances are often the center of attention in in sporting forums and sports fan blogging websites. One of such is the post, “We, the Public, Place the Best Athletes on Pedestals”, by William Moller, gives the reader an explanation of what athletes use and acceptable reasons of why many would use them.